Finally! On Saturday night the Miami Heat got what they paid for. No, I’m not talking about the big three, Miami thrice, or tres grande. For the first time this season, Mike Miller showed up and showed up big. On a night when the Heat would be without both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the team was looking for someone to contribute. The good news is that they got a few guys to contribute. The even better news is that they got one guy who simply exploded offensively. Mike Miller, injured for most of the season, had a breakout performance against the Toronto Raptors, who Miami defeated 120-103 on Saturday night.

When Wade and Bosh are both sitting out of a game due to injury, you expect LeBron James to step up and have a great effort. Well, he did. James scored 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Heat victory. Bron has stepped up plenty this season, so these numbers certainly weren’t a surprise. Miller’s performance, on the other hand, was a welcome shock. He hit 6 of 11 from 3-pt range and dropped in 32 points total. In fact, Mike’s 22 points in the second quarter were an all-time Heat record for points in a second quarter by a single player. No question, he was in a zone against Toronto.

Mike Miller was not the only one hitting shots against the Raptors. The Heat had five players score in double figures on Saturday night. Miami also had their best game in recent memory from downtown, shooting 16/26 from beyond the 3-pt line. Players like James Jones, Mario Chalmers, and Eddie House all pitched in double-figure scoring efforts. This was probably the best performance by Miami’s role players this season, and may not bode well for the opposition in the future.

After the Heat lost to Atlanta a few days ago, Coach Eric Spoelstra talked about how Miami was still trying out different rotations when not all of the stars were healthy. Today, Miami appears to be taking a step forward in terms of compensating for the loss of one or more of the big trio. Miami is already a very, very good team. Players like Mike Miller performing at the level he was at on Saturday night will make the Heat a great team.

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Written by Sean Eckhardt
Univ of Alabama alumni. Born and raised outside Chicago, IL. Currently live in Florida. Some of my favorite teams include the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Heat, and the Florida Panthers. My interests outside of sports include music, outdoor activities, and anything with a motor(cars, bikes, boats, etc...).